In the construction of masonry structures such as, for example, brick siding or walls for houses, it is common for the structure to be erected by masons who normally set each brick individually by hand. This process is both intricate and time consuming and requires the skills of an experienced mason. The quality of construction and the uniformity of the completed structure varies with the skill of the mason, and even in structures built by the most skilled masons, individual bricks are not always precisely aligned within the structure. In addition, extensive and time consuming clean up using acids is often required upon completion of the structure to remove excess mortar from the face of the structure.
Attempts have been made to reduce the time and skill required to produce high quality brick structures. Patent No. 3,236,924 of McClarney et al discloses a brick construction aid having rods that extend through the holes in the brick. The brick is supported in spaced relationship vertically by brick supporting flanges formed in the rods and the rods are spaced apart to provide space between individual bricks in the horizontal direction. When the rods have been loaded with brick, mortar is pumped into the space between the bricks to form an integral brick structure.
The device of McClarney, while reducing the skill required to construct a masonry structure, is complicated and time consuming to use. Each brick must be slid onto the rods and supported on the proper flange. In addition, the McClarney device is not usable with solid brick or stone and clean up of the completed structure can still be required. Since the support rods of the McClarney device are removed upon completion of the structure, no reinforcement is provided by the device and reinforcement such as wire embedded in the mortar must be added separately by the mason.
A need exists for a masonry construction aid that will dramatically reduce the time and skill level required to construct a masonry structure while providing for a uniform and reinforced structure of high quality construction. It is to the provision of such a device and a method for using the device that the present invention is primarily directed.